


The secret of Algieba to Zosma

by RockySilence



Series: Constellations [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, Low Lights, M/M, Space Soup, backrub, late night, sick keith, worried lance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-07-02 20:48:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15804309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RockySilence/pseuds/RockySilence
Summary: Lance has a sensitive back... and Keith knows it.But, who would have thought that the little monster has a weak stomach? Lance surely wouldn't have...





	The secret of Algieba to Zosma

**Author's Note:**

> Algieba and Zosma are two of the nine stars that make up the constellation Leo.

Lance knew that the first time he did it, it was unintentional. The little monster did not know it and he just wanted Lance’s attention. Fair enough. But now, now he had no excuse and Lance was blushing furiously. Part embarrassment, part anger and part humiliation as his breath hitched involuntarily and his shoulders rose with a shiver cascading down his body in the wake of that treacherous finger tracing the line of his spine.

‘Lance, everything alright?’ Allura asked, glancing at him over the table, momentarily abandoning her plate of goo.

They just got back from a mission. The habitants were nice folk, Lance got along with them alright, the problem was the environment. That wretched planet was a gooey slime ball. A massive swamp that was hot and moist, had an unpredictable terrain and all kinds of creatures with sharp teeth and a big appetite. Covered in mud, sweat, dirt and pieces of rotting vegetation that got caught on the edges of their armour, everyone uniformly decided to jump into the shower first, ignoring their growling stomachs for just a little longer. Nobody liked to smell like swamp, especially at the dinner table. Lance broke record in having the quickest shower in his life before dashing down the corridor barefoot and half-dressed, not even the idea of Coran on kitchen duty deterred him form racing to be first at the table. He pulled his shirt over his head, almost crashing into a wall, but he swerved clear just in time, tugging the material down his still wet and sticky skin. Shirt finally in place, he reached the door at the same time as Pidge, barefoot as well, towel still on her shoulders to catch the water dripping from her locks and Lance could already hear Hunk’s voice from inside. Pidge pressed her palm to the lock with a grunt and they butted shoulders, trying to be the first to fit through the door. Pidge won, elbowing Lance in the gut just as Shiro rounded the corner behind them, closely followed by Keith. Damn, that was a low move.

His stomach was already a twisted knot and that sharp elbow did not help the situation. Lance leaned against the doorframe for a second, a little hunched, looking at the two remaining paladins heading his way. They were not running, and they also managed to fully dress themselves before stepping out of their rooms, unlike him and Pidge who clearly grabbed and pulled on whatever clean clothes they got their hands on. Lance straightened out and entered as they caught up to him, heading towards the table. Pidge took Lance’s usual seat, already wolfing down the green sludge in front of her and he took a second, considering where to sit. That second was his undoing. Shiro passed him by, taking the seat between Hunk and Allura and Lance should not have forgotten about Keith behind his back, but the plates laid out were simply hypnotic and he was about to take a step forward but there comes that mind numbing sensation that has him frozen on the spot, the tip of a slim finger, not even directly on his skin and Lance’s knees almost buckle. Similar to last time, the sensation starts between his shoulder blades and stops at the hem of his shorts where the finger catches then disappears and Keith walks by him too, not even a glance in his direction as he takes a seat next to Coran leaving one empty spot for Lance between Pidge and him.

‘Lance?’ Allura frowns and now Shiro and Hunk is looking at him too. He snaps out of it and sits down quickly, stuffing a spoonful of goo into his mouth.

‘Fine… just hungry’ he squeezes out an answer between bites, and finally they too turn back to their plates. Lance risks a shady glance to his right. The little monster is stuffing his head without the slightest hint of acknowledging Lance. He decided to swallow his issues along with the next spoonful of goo for now, too hungry to start an argument right away, not to mention that he is not going to talk about this in front of everyone. Finished with his plate, he pushed it forward, wordlessly asking for seconds with his mouth still full and Coran was beaming. In actuality, the goo tasted a bit odd, but Lance did not want to know the reason why. Ignorance was bliss and a full stomach. He just hoped that whatever he ate was not poisonous to humans and did not have any strange side effects. Everyone ate seconds, probably sharing Lance’s philosophy. Shiro and Hunk even managed thirds.

No wonders, they have not eaten in the past two… well almost three days, not daring to risk anything that planet had to offer. Pidge was more irritated with them than ever before, closely followed by Lance and Hunk, even Shiro got snappy on their way back. The only one who he expected to be in a foul mood, yet seemed oddly unaffected by hunger, was Keith. Surely, he had a permanent scowl but he was more quiet than his usual self. Lance had a budding suspicion that Keith had actually experienced going hungry for at least a couple of days before, probably more than once while he lived in that shack in the middle of the desert. Lance set his spoon down, clattering in the empty bowl, glancing at Keith’s plate. He was eating slower than any of them, just starting on his second serving. Maybe his stomach doesn’t feel so good, Lance hummed to himself, not really sure why he was so concerned with the little monster’s eating habits all of a sudden, but he grew up in a household where there was always food on the table. No matter whether it was just bread and butter or a three course Christmas dinner, even when they struggled a little to make ends meet, nobody went hungry. Ever. Not in the McClain household.

Today was not the first case they had a meal after days of going without a bite, but before getting to space, Lance had never experienced hunger on the long term that lasted more than an hour or two and it still surprised him how it changed him and changed the others as well. The only difference he noticed in Keith though was his unusual silence. He refused to bicker with Lance, even when he was aggressively pushing for a fight to distract himself from the growing hole in his gut. Like, he was tuning him out, saving his energy… the thought downed in on Lance, finding it easier to comprehend now that he leaned back in his chair in a warm room, freshly showered and with a full stomach. Everyone leaned back, one after the other, listening to Coran’s never-ending chatter and basking in the bliss of sugar coursing through their veins in abundance again. Glancing aside Lance noted that Keith was still just pushing the goo around absent minded before finally dropping the spoon and pushing it all away. Five minutes later Shiro called pyjamas and sent everyone to rest, not even trying to stifle the jaw-cracking yawn morphing the end of his order. Coran and Allura volunteered to take care of the dishes and ushered them out the door quickly. Shiro’s yawn was contagious, spreading like wildfire. Hunk even yawned twice, rumbling that Pidge set him off again. The little gremlin growled and grabbing Hunk’s arm turned him around and gave him a push on the back in the direction of his room before setting off towards hers. Shiro raised his hand in a lazy wave before rounding the corner too. Lance grabbed Keith’s sleeve before he could wander off, determined to discuss their issues quickly, pulling the little monster with him towards his room. He half expected him to pull away, but they reached his door, Keith lagging after him, uncharacteristically docile.

‘Are you alright?’ Lance frowned, glancing behind him as he unlocked the door. Keith looked pale. Well, paler than usual. Lance quickly ushered him inside, the door whooshing closed behind them as he turned around, one hand on the little monster’s shoulder, the other pushing his bangs back as he leaned down to press their foreheads together. No fever, he noted instantly, but his skin was cold and clammy. Keith braced a hand against the doorframe, the other on Lance’s elbow. ‘Hey, talk to me’ Lance pulled back a little to look into his eyes properly, pushing his hand into his hair again, keeping it there and rubbing his thumb soothingly on his forehead.

‘I’m fine’ Keith squeezed out at last before he stiffened, eyes going wide for a split second. He pushed Lance away, sudden and forceful and he stumbled back with a yelp, almost falling on his butt and was about to give the little monster a piece of his mind, offended by the rough treatment, but the words got caught in his throat as Keith tore open his bathroom door and fell to his knees by the toilet, emptying his stomach with great heaves, coughing violently.

‘Oh’ Lance snapped out of his surprise a moment later, his anger forgotten as he squeezed into his tiny bathroom and kneeled down too, rubbing a hand on the little monster’s back sympathetically. The heaving stopped after a while and Keith leaned sideways, resting his head in the crook of his elbow. ‘Hey, I’m gonna go grab some water pouches from the kitchen okay?’ A tired grunt came as an answer and Lance took it as a yes. ‘Should I ask Coran for some medicine too?’ Keith shook his head quietly. ‘Are you sure?’ Another grunt.  ‘Do you know what’s causing it?’ Grunt. Lance sighed. ‘Fine, but if you get worse because you want to play it tough, I’m going to be very pissed, you hear me?’ There was no answer this time. Lance tapped him on the back once more before he turned around and raced to the kitchen. He loaded his arms with a big stack of water pouches and on his way back, he stepped into the little monster’s room too, grabbing some extra towels, his toothbrush and some change of clothes at random. He rushed back down his corridor, shuffling around his purchases until he was finally able to free a hand to press on the lock. Lance dumped his load on his bed, grabbing a water pouch and a towel. Keith was slumped against the side of the shower stall, cracking his eyes open as Lance entered. He had a bit more colour in his face.

‘Here’ Lance punched the straw into the water pouch, handing it over. He sat back on his heels waiting patiently for Keith to spit a couple mouthfuls out before actually drinking. ‘Do you feel better?’ Keith nodded, sipping the water slowly. ‘Still nauseous?’

‘A little’ he croaked, opening his mouth to speak at last. Lance sighed, relived.

‘Can you tell me what’s wrong? You didn’t have much of an appetite earlier either.’

‘Weak stomach’ Keith murmured, looking away, taking the towel from Lance’s hands to wipe his mouth. ‘Skipping meals doesn’t help.’

‘How long has this been going on?’ Lance asked, suspicious. Keith shrugged.

‘I’ll be fine by tomorrow.’

‘You’re not fine, you just threw up the first meal you had in days, you need sustenance. I’ll go talk to Hunk, maybe he can make some soup or something that is easier…’

‘Lance, shut up. Hunk is asleep, and I told you I’m going to be fine by morning. I just ate too much too soon, I know, it happened before, okay? I already feel better, breakfast will stay down, I promise.’ Lance was frowning, and he felt the corners of his lips twist into an unhappy grimace. No, he’s not letting this go. He can’t. Lance stood and pulled Keith up slowly, avoiding sudden movements that might set him off again and led him back into the room, pushing him down to sit on his bed. Lance tidied up quickly in the bathroom and piled the water pouches on the chair he pulled close to the bed before pushing the clothes, towel and toothbrush into the little monster’s lap.

‘Take a shower and get to bed, I’ll be back soon.’ Lance did not wait for an answer as he put on his jacket, slipped into his shoes and stormed out the door. He was angry. At himself for not noticing earlier, at Keith for not telling and even at the rest of the team for being as oblivious as he was while the little monster was suffering silently after their excursions. Lance had no idea if he still remembered how to cook. Never as good as Hunk, but he used to be decent at it, helping his Mama out a lot. He never tried using alien ingredients though, he thought, raiding the cupboards and drawers and the ice box that served as their fridge collecting stuff that vaguely reminded him of vegetables one might chop into a soup. A peculiar looking root like thing caught Lance’s eye. It was blue and purple and had tiny yellow spots and he remembered Hunk going on and on about this thing, for the life of him Lance couldn’t recall it’s name, claiming how nutritious it was when they examined it with Pidge. There was a whole basket of the bluish-purplish roots, with dirt still clinging to them in places. Lance shrugged, grabbing a handful. He will pretend they are blue carrots. He also gathered some pink, knobby things that reminded him of potatoes and a little, angry red onion like bulb. If he squinted his eyes hard enough it did look like an onion, Lance noted. He unearthed a piece of bone with some meat still on it from the very corner of the icebox. He had no idea what creature’s remains he held in his hands, but so be it. Rest assured it was probably some leftover Hunk refused to throw out, so they most likely already ate from it before and apparently lived to tell the tale. It will do, Lance decided. Finally, he found some dried up leafy greens in an overhead cupboard that looked almost like parsley. Not a bad haul. Better than he expected, actually. Now Lance just hoped they were all edible.

A good varga later he was standing over a shimmering pot that smelled promising. While prepping the vegetables he ate a little bit of all the raw ingredients, double checking before he accidentally poisoned the little monster. Lance was still standing and feeling fine, so he assumed the soup was safe as well. He lifted a spoonful, blowing on it before gingerly taking a sip. Honestly, it was not very remarkable. It had a very tame, earthy taste, but the vegetables were soft, the meat tender and inspecting the bone, Lance nodded to himself, satisfied that all the cartilage boiled away, it’s nutrients diffused into the soup. He shut the hotplate off and debated whether to take just a serving or the whole thing back with him. It was a small pot after all. In the end he ladled some into a bowl, carefully covering it to keep it warm while he cleaned up the counter and left a DO NOT TOUCH! warning note next to the pot. He even drew an angry lion doodle underneath, hoping the others will get the message. That soup was for his sick little monster and no one else.

Lance grabbed a tray, loading it with the bowl, a spoon and made his way back to his room, suddenly becoming aware of how long it took for him. Was the little monster alright? He pressed his palm onto the lock and stepped into his dim room. The gentle glow of the light fixtures around the alcove of his bed the only source of illumination, but he knew his way around pretty well by know. Lance noted that for once, the little monster actually did as told, took a shower, changed and climbed into Lance’s bed. The whoosh of the door opening and closing roused him from his light sleep though.

‘Lance?’ he cracked an eye open, squinting up at his shadow. Lance placed the tray on the seat of the chair, rearranging the water pouches and sat on the edge of the bed.

‘Hey, Mullet, feeling better?’

‘A notch’ he sighed, drawing his knees up to curl around Lance’s form. Not really touching, but close. ‘Where were you?’ he murmured, eyes drifting closed as he rubbed his cheek against the sheets and Lance smiled, the habit oh so sweet and familiar. His hand moved before he could stop himself, fingers lacing into the little monster’s endearingly horrible mullet, thumb caressing his brow and temple. Keith turned towards the touch and sniffed his sleeve curiously. ‘You smell odd’ he frowned, looking up at Lance. He sighed, letting his hand drop to the little monster’s shoulder.

‘Sit up, I’ve got some food for you’ Keith sighed, turning onto his back, sheets rustling. Lance reached for the tray, holding it in his lap ready to hand it over, but the little monster refused to sit up.

‘I’ve told you I’m sick of food goo for the time being. Can’t it wait till the morning? I don’t want to throw up again, my throat feels like sandpaper already.’

‘Stop whining. It’s not food goo, and hopefully you will be able to stomach it’ Keith let loose of an exasperated sigh but pushed himself up to lean against the wall.

‘If I throw up again, I’m going to beat you up’ he murmured.

‘Sure you will’ Lance hummed, laying the tray across the little monster’s thighs, uncovering the bowl.

‘The source of that odd smell’ Keith noted right away, wrinkling his nose.

‘Just give it a try, I promise it’s not poisonous and you don’t have to force it if you don’t like it’ the little monster took the spoon up, stirring the soup suspiciously.

‘Is it blue?’ he guessed, tipping the bowl towards the light.

‘It’s space soup, of course it’s blue. Stop criticizing and eat or I’m pouring it down your throat like space juice’ Lance grumbled, his patience running short and not happy with the apparent disrespect towards his culinary skills. The little monster tentatively tried a spoonful.

‘Not very impressed, but at least it doesn’t taste like food goo’ he declared, lifting his spoon again and Lance’s tense shoulders sank with relief. Keith was eating. Good.

‘By the way, you are mean. Haven’t I told you not to wake Hunk? Poor guy was absolutely beat, and you had him slaving in the kitchen?’

‘I didn’t’ Lance murmured, his cheeks burning with sudden embarrassment. He was grateful for the dim lighting. He stood and took his jacket off, laying it on the back of the chair, over the red one already there. ‘And you are right, I do smell odd so I’m gonna go take another shower, make sure you don’t spill anything on my bed’ he added hastily before running away to hide in his bathroom. He sighed in relief as the door whooshed closed behind him and squinted his eyes as the lights flickered on. He was so head over heels it was ridiculous. It was three weeks ago, that they got locked into Lance’s room for three quintants under a pretend quarantine of wine flu. Lance didn’t really mind, not after learning that the little monster was not a hundred percent against the possibility of being a little more, of being “something” other than friends. After coming down from the high of that searing kiss though, they took it easy, spent their time sleeping and playing video games, arguing like usual. As it turned out in the end, the quarantine was Pidge’s way of taking revenge for the kidnapping ordeal, blackmailing Keith into it with some shady footage mix she got of the two of them bickering, roaming around drunk on space juice and sucking hickeys into each other’s skin, stopping to make out at every corner until they reached Lance’s room. Lance still felt hot under the collar just thinking about the footage Pidge made them watch at the end of the third day as a deterrent of ever thinking about kidnapping her again before letting them go. Lance so wanted a copy, but he was too embarrassed to ask not to mention that Keith would probably make him eat the thumb drive if he ever obtained one.

Lance sighed anew, slowly peeling his clothes off one after the other, taking his time. Nothing really changed since then. They bickered like usual, beat each other up viciously on the training deck like usual and competed in everything like twelve-year olds just like…usual. The one anomaly was that treacherous finger running down his spine at times when he expected it the least. Always out of sight and always at a time when Lance couldn’t call him out on it, just like he did next to the dinner table. It was thrilling and infuriating at the same time and Lance didn’t know what to do about it or whether the little monster even expected him to do anything about it. Maybe he could ask for an explanation now that they were alone for the first time in a long while. He turned his back to the mirror, looking over his shoulder, seeing nothing but smooth expanse of light toffee skin, flawless and well cared for save the occasional scratches and light scars here and there that all of them collected over the past years. His were mostly from the blast of the ship’s crystal, a couple was actually the mark of Keith’s own wicked blade that nicked him all too many times during practice and some from other encounters with the Galra. Lance liked his scars, they were all proof of how much they survived together, learned as paladins and how many lives they saved in the process. Lance scrutinised himself for a minute longer, not really closer to a revelation as to why his back was so sensitive to touch, no visible clues he could find, but this was the first he actually wondered at the reason.

The only one in his life allowed to touch his back all they wanted was his Mama. Her backrubs always so soothing and relaxing Lance was absolute putty. Veronica often joked that Lance was more like a family cat than an actual human the way he purred and kept sighing under their mother’s magic hands. Even when he dated before and got into some steamy situations, he was always careful to keep his date’s hands away from his back. For him it was such an intimate experience, not necessarily sexual or anything, but something that he just did not feel like disclosing to anyone other than his family or maybe later on, a very significant person in his life. The fact that the little monster found out about it left him puzzled, not necessarily uncomfortable like he thought he would feel, but definitely puzzled.

Lance turned away from the mirror, tired to the bone, stepping under the shower for the second time that evening. He scrubbed lazily, going through his routine completely on autopilot, brushing his teeth under the shower and tying the sash of his robe comfortably tight. He covered the mirror with his towel as usual, for some reason it turned into an odd habit, and left the bathroom behind with a yawn, hoping the little monster was willing to share the bed. Keith was sitting at the edge of the bed, cross legged. The tray was back on the chair and he was sipping another water pouch.

‘Took you long enough’ he grumbled, getting to his feet right away.

‘Nauseous again?’ Lance suddenly felt vigilant, worried.

‘No, my bladder is about to burst’ the little monster pushed the water pouch against his chest as he passed him by, forcing Lance to either grab it or let it splatter on the ground and shut himself into the bathroom. Lance cradled the squishy bag, staring at the sticky glow stars on the ceiling above his bed. The lion was laughing at him like usual when the little monster got the better of him. Lance sat on the bed, his eyes drifting to the tray. The bowl was covered again and he curiously pushed it aside, happy to see the dim light hit the empty bottom. He couldn’t help the smile tugging at the corners of his lips. The little monster actually ate it. He put the cover back, finished off the water pouch thrust at him and climbed into bed, lying on the very edge, one arm dangling, the tips of his fingers brushing against his slippers, leaving the inside to Keith. If he wanted to stay, he will climb over him anyway. Lance learned during the three quintants together that he preferred that side for some odd reason he refused to share. The door whooshed open, light flooding the room for a couple seconds, blinding Lance before it went out.

‘Uhm, you might want to take the other side for tonight’ Keith nudged his shoulder.

‘Hm?’

‘You know, if I get sick again I’m better off closer to the bathroom.’

‘Oh, sure’ Lance scooted over, pushing his back up against the wall. ‘I saw you ate, you feel okay for now?’

‘For now’ the little monster huffed, climbing under his duvet. ‘Time will tell if it actually stays down, but… thanks, I guess.’

‘I know it wasn’t the best’ Lance murmured, ‘but I thought seasoning wound be an irritant, so…’

‘It was fine, Lance’ Keith finally found his spot, lying on his stomach with an arm under his head, turned towards him. He pushed Lance’s pillow away and he obediently gathered it up, stuffing it into the corner, so it was under his head only. He also learned that the little monster was not a big fan of pillows. He said they were too squishy, so he usually preferred his own arm, or Lance himself as a matter of fact. Lance refused to meet his eyes in the dark. Again, grateful for the dim lights because he felt the tell-tale burn of a blush painting his cheeks. He blushed an awful lot around the little monster lately.

‘There’s more in the kitchen for the morning if you like’ he added hesitantly.

‘Thanks’ Keith murmured. A dobash or so of heavy silence stretched between them before Lance decided he was too tired for this.

‘Well, uhm… good night then, Mullet’ Lance cleared his throat awkwardly and turned around to face the wall. He really should have known better by now. Not long after he settled and finally found his spot too, that treacherous finger was there to send a jolt of electricity and warmth through his bones, jerking him awake. ‘What is your damn problem?’ he whispered furiously, trying to turn around, but a firm hand pushing his shoulder into the wall in front of him and his clothes and duvet twisting around him made that impossible. ‘Mullet, let me go or I’m pushing you off the bed. Why the heck are you doing this anyway?’

‘It’s an interesting reaction’ Lance heard the smile in the lilt of his voice. He heard him shuffle around a bit and tried to twist his neck around to see more. He did it again, this time with two if his knuckles, using his other hand and Lance trembled.

‘Mullet, I get that this must be amusing to you, but for me it’s not. Please stop making fun of me in front of everyone too, it’s very uncomfortable.’

‘I’m not making fun of you.’

‘Of course, you are making fun of me’ Lance sighed, defeated, pressing a palm and his forehead against the wall.

‘I said, I’m not making fun of you’ the palm pressing against his shoulder blade moved and started rubbing his back, down and up and down and up again, thumb pressing into the groove of his spine, making him straighten his back and even arch a little. A quiet chirp slipped past his lips before he clenched his jaws tight and willed himself to be quiet. It felt so good, so good, but it was so embarrassing. The little monster kept it up, stopping for a second or two now and then, sometimes sliding his palm all the way up to squeeze his shoulder or all the way down and to his lower back. Lance was leaning into his touch more and more, pathetic little hums and whimpers escaping his lips now and again no matter how much he tried.

‘Mullet, if… if you’re not taking me seriously, please… please stop…’ Lance pleaded.

‘Lance,’ the little monster slid closer, his hand going down to his waist to murmur close to his ear ‘I keep doing it because I like it, you know. Like the way you almost fall apart at the seams just because I ran a finger down your back. And look at you now, all but putty under my hand, it’s… it’s intoxicating.’

‘You’re confusing me’ Lance whined, the tension he kept bottled up finally spilling over and bubbling up his throat and past his lips. He stuffed his hands under his pillow, burying his face almost completely into it, muffling his complaints as much as he could. ‘You go and get my hopes up, hinting at _somethings_ and then you just turn the cold shoulder but keep messing with my back in front of everyone and… Mullet, I just don’t know what to do with you, okay? I don’t want to mess this up, but I think you already decided anyway, not even giving me a chance to mess up at the very least. It’s so confusing…’ Lance trailed off, feeling his thumb moving again, smoothing out the wrinkles of his thin robe above the sash.

‘I did not lie when I said we had something, I think we do and I’m trying to figure out what to do with this. I cannot give you more reassurance, Lance, I’m going after my own head, whether you like it or not. One thing I can promise is that if you do something I don’t like, I’m going to beat you up and you will certainly know where you screwed up. How does that sound?’

‘Peachy’ Lance smirked, sarcasm dripping from every word. ‘Training me like a circus animal… just great, Mullet. Thanks.’

‘It’s not like that’ he protested.

‘Of course, Mullet.’

‘Lance!’

‘Yes?’

‘I said, it’s not like that, don’t twist my words. I don’t know what I want, but I have a rough idea of what I absolutely don’t want. I just gave you an indication of what happens if you cross that line.’

‘What about my lines?’

‘Do you have any?’

‘That was low, Mullet. That was low.’

‘What about your lines then?’ Lance sighed, taking a minute to think things through, all jokes aside. He turned on his stomach, twisting his head around to look at him.

‘I don’t do well with insecurity’ he confessed quietly. ‘Tell me if you don’t want me anymore fair and square, make me feel jealous, rile me up all you want, but don’t ever make me doubt you. That feeling strangles the life out of me and puts thoughts in my head that are… that are dark and hopeless and rather dangerous to one’s health on the long run.’ The conversation turned rather grim and way too serious all of a sudden and Lance felt the urge to crack a joke right away to split the tension. He forced out a laugh. ‘I mean…’ the little monster pressed a hand over his mouth.

‘No jokes. I’ve heard you even without them. I cannot make any promises, but warn me if I ever get close to that line. Any others?’ Lance shrugged, pulling at the little monster’s wrist to allow him to talk. He let his hand drop.

‘None that I can think of right now’ Keith nodded.

‘Let me know if there are more.’ Lance nodded and Keith sighed, fidgeting in place for a while. ‘Depressing conversation over, take this off’ the little monster requested suddenly, hooking a finger under the sash of his robe at his waist, pulling gently, suggestively.

‘No’ eyes snapping wide open, Lance protested right away.

‘Off.’

‘What have we been talking about, Mullet?! What about your lines and all that?’

‘It’s not violating any of mine. Any of yours?’

‘Not really’ Lance answered hesitantly.

‘Great. Take. It. Off. Before I do. You made me dinner I could actually stomach as it turns out, the least you deserve is a proper backrub. Now, off before I change my mind and go to sleep.’ Keith sat up, pulling Lance along with him. He let the little monster take his robe, chucking it across the room so it landed on his desk in a bundle and went willingly when he was pushed down onto the bed, arms beside his head, the skin of his back bare and vulnerable, the duvet now only covering him up to the line of his pyjama bottoms. Lance closed his eyes in jittery anticipation. Keith shifted next to him, the bed dipping at Lance’s hip as he sat close and then… and then his hands pressed against his shoulders. Hands smaller than his, palms dry and calloused, fingers firm with a strong grip as he squeezed where his shoulders and neck met, thumbs gliding up the back of his neck, rubbing the coiling tension away slowly, methodically… Lance soon fell into a trance and by the time his hands moved lower to his shoulder blades, he was an absolute goner, and then progressing down his spine… sweet heavens…

‘You’re ruining me’ Lance whispered, moaning shamelessly, falling apart, his filters gone and his previous abstinence a long lost memory. His Mama’s backrubs were a different kind of backrubs. They were soothing, comforting, the kind that lulled him into sleep. What Keith was doing to him was something else… he had no idea what, but it made him come alive as much as loosen up and it felt so good… His firm hands pressing sometimes to the point where it was almost turning painful, yet he always eased up just before Lance was about to call out.  He was groaning and purring nonstop under shaky breathes, unable to control his voice any longer.

‘Feeling good?’ Keith asked, sounding rather smug, but Lance didn’t care. The little monster earned the right to sound smug. The hands went up and up, thumbs rubbing in circles as they slowly reached his shoulders again. On a sudden thought, Keith raked his nails down his back, unexpected and oh so sinful, curious since their quarantine, but what came next was more than he expected to see unravel. Lance’s arms shot up over his head, wrists and forearms banging into the wall with a loud thud as he arched his back wordlessly, twisting and pulling a knee up that collided with the wall too. Keith set Lance on fire, blood rushing into places he wasn’t really proud of. Keith felt his cheeks slowly burning with the heady feeling of being the one who had this kind of power and influence over the Blue Paladin’s body.

The hands stilled on his lower back and Lance whimpered, forehead pressed into the sheets, arms falling back over his head, fingers fisting in his hair, pulling tight. Knee still stuck, his foot lifted, sliding up against the wall. ‘Hey, you okay?’ Lance couldn’t answer, but he begged silently in his head for more. _Please, please move. Please, more_ _… more_ _…_ he pulled on his hair even more, his foot sliding up and down against the wall with a quiet, rustling noise. He couldn’t keep still. ‘Lance?’ his palms slid an inch or two up, but they stilled again as he whimpered. _No, no, no_ _…_ ‘Lance, answer me, are you okay?’ He peeled his painfully tight lips apart.

‘Don’t…stop…’ he begged quietly, no rational thought left behind as all his inhibitions melted away in that searing sensation cascading down his back in the wake of the little monster’s nails biting gently but firmly enough to leave a trail of pink lines marring his skin momentarily. ‘Don’t stop… don’t stop…’ once he started, he kept repeating it like a broken mantra. Lance never felt this unravelled in his whole life. Keith’s left hand disappeared and Lance felt the mattress dip next to him, felt the radiating heat of his body scolding the exposed skin of his flanks as he laid down by his side. The remaining hand kept moving up and down his back, more like caressing now but it kept traveling across his skin with a continuous, gentle rustling. Lance fell silent, fidgeting around, twisting his hips, arching his back, stomping his left foot on the mattress like Keith did way before in his impatience when they were locked in together. Now Lance understood that urge bubbling under his skin that only movement could satiate.

‘Look at me?’ Keith coaxed him gently, hand not stopping as Lance requested so vehemently. His voice was deep and soft and Lance moaned, stomping his foot again. His senses were on fire, that quiet murmur was like pure, colourless kerosene and if he poured more into Lance’s ears, it was going to burn him alive. He shook his head silently, swallowing with a dry gulp, fingers pulling on his hair painfully with the added movement. ‘Lance’ his name, he should never have told Keith his name. Why was it so powerful on his lips? Lance could not comprehend it and the pull was so strong, he felt it in his bones, loosening the iron grip of his fingers in his hair and twisting his neck ever so slightly, blinking an eye open cautiously, cheek pressed to his arm. He noted anew that the room was dark. He couldn’t see much of the little monster with his back to the glow lights gently illuminating his room yet avoiding the alcove of his bed, gracing him with the soft blanket of a shadow. His eyes glinted in the dark though. Witchcraft, Lance thought half-heartedly as he shut his eye and buried his nose in the sheets hurriedly, the little monster was bewitching him for sure. ‘Hey, have you ever let anyone do this to you?’ Lance shook his head, shivering as a wave of goose bumps washed over his skin, the air starting to feel cold. Keith noticed and pulled the duvet over the both of them, enveloping them in a pocket of warmth Lance was grateful for, especially when his hand returned to running all the way up to his nape and down until it caught on the waistband of his pyjamas and turned back to do it over and over again, sometimes going sideways to give a squeeze to his shoulder or waist or dead centre to press the heel of his palm against his spine with a reassuring weight. Unlike before, it was steady and predictable and turned into the kind of backrub he was familiar with. Lance sighed. His arms loosening over his head and dropping back onto the mattress and so did his feet, legs straightening again as he relaxed. The sudden fire subsided, leaving him humming in content as the little monster kindled the pulsing ember left behind. He heard him huff in amusement. ‘So, nails are something else, huh? Better remember that.’ Lance was too tired to answer, but he purred like a damn cat until he fell asleep, his dreams tranquil and uneventful, filled with hot summer days, salty air, sun kissed skin and guarded from unpleasantries by the presence of that fire crackling reassuringly in his ears and keeping him warm wherever he ventured behind his closed eyelids.

**Author's Note:**

> Your kind words and kudos are my life force. If you enjoyed it, please leave as many as possible.


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